


A World Where Roses Bloom

by piesforjack (laurelhips)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Headcanon, M/M, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 07:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8195713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelhips/pseuds/piesforjack
Summary: Though the days were long, the nights sometimes longer, Jack wouldn’t have traded any of it for anything; for the second time in his life, Jack had something that he cherished more than hockey.A canon compliant future!fic featuring French singing and fluffy Daddy!Zimbits.





	

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic in this fandom ahhhh!! this is based on [this](http://piesforjack.tumblr.com/post/151228318813/an-important-concept) post i made and i desperately needed it to be a fic so voila!!
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> the title is from 'la vie en rose' as performed by louis armstrong, _however_ , the song jack sings is the original french version by edith piaf (although i cut out the beginning part because it was a little weird hahaha)
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> also!! i should mention this is in france-french not quebecois, mostly because i didn't learn quebecois (they teach you france-french in school, even in canada, whomp whomp) so yeah!! s/o to google translate for helping me with my shitty grammar!!!!!
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> all the translations will be in the end notes!! enjoy!!!!

The first weeks of fatherhood were not treating Jack kindly. He felt restless and bone tired all at once. Between practices, games, and early morning workouts, Jack was struggling to find the time and energy that he needed to spend with his new little family. Bitty was fortunate that owning a bakery and running a blog were within the realm of parental leave, playing in the NHL during playoffs was not quite as lenient. All the other dads on the team assured it that it would be hard but that he would find the balance eventually, he just needed to be patient with himself and remember that his family would always come first (as if Jack needed any reminding of that). Though the days were long, the nights sometimes longer, Jack wouldn’t have traded any of it for anything; for the second time in his life, Jack had something that he cherished more than hockey. That was why, at two in the morning—with a six A.M alarm set—Jack was shuffling to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, a new nightly ritual so it seemed.

They had a game tomorrow, the first proper game in the first round of the playoffs, and Jack knew that this insomnia would catch up with him tomorrow, but right now he was sleepless and all he wanted was more time in the day to do everything he loved. On his way down the hall he heard some light snuffling coming from Ella’s room, and without thinking twice Jack changed course and carefully peeked into her room.

Lying in her crib, Ella’s little arms and legs flexed and flailed as she gurgled and mumbled about nothing in particular. Jack padded lightly across the room, scratching tiredly at the beginning of his playoff beard, smiling softly. The last thing he wanted was Bitty to be woken up by the baby monitor, especially if Jack was already awake anyway. Just as Ella blinked her big brown eyes up at him, Jack leaned down over the ledge of her crib and made light cooing sounds as he picked her up.

“ _Pourquoi êtes-vous encore éveillé, mon petit ange?_ ” Jack whispered, so fondly. “ _Vous êtes juste comme Papa, Papa ne peut pas dormir non plus._ ” Jack murmured as he placed a tiny kiss on the crown of her head. He cradled her in the crook of his arm, resting her ear snug to his chest, where she would be able to feel Jack’s heartbeat. Jack tenderly rocked her side to side, brushing his thumb across her forehead, down the slight slope of her nose, feather-light touch across her rosy cheek. He felt so at peace, he wanted this moment to last forever. 

“ _Vous savez, quand j'étais jeune, ma maman utilisée pour chanter cette chanson, chaque fois qu'elle se sentait heureuse et, bien, contenu,_ ” Jack compiled the memories with slow ease, the soft melody carefully piecing together the flashbacks; his mother swaying in the kitchen and preparing tea the first day autumn leaves had graced their lawn, his mother laughing in the fading summer sun as she watched Jack and Bob splash around in the lake, his mother cheering for both teams playing shinny on a crisp winter afternoon, his mother sighing sweetly as she watered her garden on a dewy spring morning. “ _Voulez-vous entendre, Eloise?_ ”

Of course, Eloise didn’t respond, but Jack took her clutching at his forefinger as a sign to continue. Jack wandered over to the aged oak rocking chair that he’d inherited from his mom and dad, settling into the creaks and cracks that had become like Pavlovian bells of comfort for Jack.

Jack rocked for a few moments, allowing himself to find contentment in the familiar motion. After a few beats of silence, aside from the light groan of the rocking chair, Jack began to sing, low and mellow, in a slumbersome way:

 _Quand il me prend dans ses bras_  
_Il me parle tout bas_  
_Je vois la vie en rose_  
_Il me dit des mots d'amour_  
_Des mots de tous les jours_  
_Et ça me fait quelque chose_  
_Il est entré dans mon cœur_  
_Une part de bonheur_  
_Dont je connais la cause_  
_C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui, dans la vie_  
_Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie_  
_Et dès que je l'aperçois_  
_Alors je sens en moi,  
_ _Mon cœur qui bat_

 _Des nuits d'amour à plus finir_  
_Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place_  
_Les ennuis, les chagrins s'effacent  
_ _Heureux, heureux à en mourir_

 _Quand il me prend dans ses bras_  
_Il me parle tout bas_  
_Je vois la vie en rose_  
_Il me dit des mots d'amour_  
_Des mots de tous les jours_  
_Et ça me fait quelque chose_  
_Il est entré dans mon cœur_  
_Une part de bonheur_  
_Dont je connais la cause_  
_C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui, dans la vie_  
_Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie_  
_Et dès que je l'aperçois_  
_Alors je sens en moi,  
__Mon cœur qui bat_

As Jack sang, his eyes drooped lower and lower, eyelids becoming heavier. As he sleepily finished the last line of the song, he chanced a glance at Eloise. Jack felt his lips turn up into an easy smile as he saw her delicate eyelids rest shut, little puffs of steady breathing coming from her parted lips. 

“ _Doux rêves, ma petite chérie._ ” Jack rose out of the rocking chair against his own will, and moved to place Ella back in her crib. Placing her down smoothly, Jack stayed leaning against the railing of the crib, watching glassy-eyed and a little overwhelmed with his luck.

“That was a very beautiful song, whatever it was.” Jack startled slightly, his grin vanishing as he spun around. His lips quirked back up when he saw Bitty standing in the doorway in one of Jack’s Falconer’s t-shirts that fell well onto his thigh, one hand on the entryway, his other in a fist rubbing at the sleep in his eye as he smiled dreamily. _God_ , Jack was a lucky man.

“I’m sorry I woke you, _mon amour_.” Bitty slowly crossed the room to stand beside Jack, leaning his elbows on the crib ledge and glancing down at Eloise with a fond look to match Jack’s. Jack reached out to wrap his arm around Bitty’s shoulders, rubbing affectionately at his arm, he pressed a kiss to Bitty’s temple, soft and sure.

“I don’t mind—” Bitty interrupted himself with a yawn. “At all, I don’t mind at all, you know that,” Bitty tore his eyes from Ella to look up at Jack, his eyes conveying his honesty. “You should be asleep though, big day tomorrow, er, well, today I suppose.” Bitty leaned his head onto Jack’s chest, letting out another yawn.

“You know how I am, it’s been a crazy few months, I think it’s all just catching up to me now,” Jack whispered. “This is better than sleep anyway.” Jack cracked a crooked grin, his eyes never leaving Ella’s resting face.

“Yeah,” Bitty murmured, only slightly watery. “It kinda is.” Bitty pulled back a few spaces to look up at Jack fully. Jack turned to Bitty, locking eyes and holding that warm gaze. 

“ _Je t’aime_.” Bitty said, easy as breathing, as natural as it too.

“ _Et je t’aime_ , Bitty.” Jack felt his eyes begin to fill, but instead of tears he let out a jaw-cracking yawn.

Bitty giggled melodically, he twined his fingers with Jack’s, raising himself onto his tiptoes to press a fleeting kiss to Jack’s jaw.

“Come on, _Monsieur_ Zimmermann, it’s bedtime. We’ve got the rest of forever to marvel at our little girl,” Bitty teased while gently tugging Jack towards the door.

Jack went long easily, his heart feeling warm and his bones feeling sluggish, he could fall asleep standing right there maybe. Jack pulled Bitty in close to his side, letting his palm slide to Bitty’s waist.  
  
“Yeah, I guess we do.” And forever would have to be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh!! how'd you like it!? leave me comments, kudos, etc!! tell me what you think <3  
> **for any confusion, "Ella" is "Eloise" and vice versa, it's her lil nickname in case you were confused!!
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>  **TRANSLATIONS**  
>  _Pourquoi êtes-vous encore éveillé, mon petit ange?_ \- Why are you still awake, my little angel?
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>  _Vous êtes juste comme Papa, Papa ne peut pas dormir non plus._ \- You're just like Papa, Papa can't sleep either.
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>  _Vous savez, quand j'étais jeune, ma maman utilisée pour chanter cette chanson, chaque fois qu'elle se sentait heureuse et, bien, contenu_ \- You know, when I was young, my mama used to sing this song whenever she felt happy and, well, content.
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>  _Voulez-vous entendre, Eloise?_ \- Would you like to hear it, Eloise?
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>  _Doux rêves, ma petite chérie._ \- Sweet dreams, (little) darling.
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>  _Mon amour_ \- My love
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>  _Je t’aime_ \- I love you
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>  _Monsieur_ \- Mister
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> _Quand il me prend dans ses bras_  
>  _Il me parle tout bas_  
>  _Je vois la vie en rose_  
>  _Il me dit des mots d'amour_  
>  _Des mots de tous les jours_  
>  _Et ça me fait quelque chose_  
>  _Il est entré dans mon cœur_  
>  _Une part de bonheur_  
>  _Dont je connais la cause_  
>  _C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui, dans la vie_  
>  _Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie_  
>  _Et dès que je l'aperçois_  
>  _Alors je sens en moi,_  
>  _Mon cœur qui bat_
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> _Des nuits d'amour à plus finir_  
>  _Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place_  
>  _Les ennuis, les chagrins s'effacent_  
>  _Heureux, heureux à en mourir_
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> When he takes me in his arms  
> He whispers to me  
> I see la vie en rose (life in pink)  
> He tells me words of love  
> Everyday words  
> And it does something to me  
> He has entered in my heart  
> A slice of happiness  
> That I know the reason  
> That's it for me, me for him, in life  
> He told me, has sworn for life  
> And as soon as I see him  
> So I feel Inside me,  
> My heart beating
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> Nights of love in endless  
> Great happiness takes its place  
> The troubles, sorrows disappear  
> Happy, happy to die


End file.
